hair algea/bryopsis

[reefpeeper]

Whats the best way to get rid of these algea?

 

[Ike]

Dealing with them is quite different so first you should identify which you're dealing with then we can advise from there.

 

[reefpeeper]

it is hair algea. kind of thick. somewhat stringy

 

[Paul_N]

Bryopsis will have a fern like appearance on the tips

 

[CHALICEKEEPER]

Phosphate reducer for the hair

 

[Ike]

What type of cleanup crew do you have? What size tank? What type of skimmer? What are your parameters?

 

[Reefboy20]

Phosphate reducer for the hair

+1 on the phosphate reducer.
Just so you know in advance if it is Bryopsis in your tank you my friend have just met the Antichrist!!! I pray for you!! You unfortunately are going to need some Divine intervention

with that one.

 

[Ike]

+1 on the phosphate reducer.
Just so you know in advance if it is Bryopsis in your tank you my friend have just met the Antichrist!!! I pray for you!! You unfortunately are going to need some Divine intervention

with that one.

Bryopsis is quite easy to deal with nowadays by boosting magnesium 300- 500ppm over natural levels.

 

[reefpeeper]

no fern like things on the tips. i think i will try the phosphate reducer

 

[foxyb]

agreed removal of bryopsis can be done by raising mg

 

[110reef]

Raising mag has not done anything to my byropsis.

 

[Acroholic]

I tried raising my mag levels with Randy's 2 part solution, which is a mix of mag chloride and mag sulfate. Didn't get any results. I did get results with Kent Tech M.

There is a long thread on this topic on Reef Central, and most of the folks using mag sulfate and/or mag chloride to raise mag levels didn't have the bryopsis die, but most using Tech M did. But some of the Tech M users did have the bryopsis return after a while. So how high youraise your Mag levels and how long you keep them high in your tank could explain that. Folks might just not be doing it correctly.

The current Tech M label lists mag sulfate and water only as the ingredients. Their older label from about a year ago has about 20 other trace ingredients listed.

Here is the link. Click "more information" for the trace element listing.

Marine Reef Aquarium Magnesium & Iron Supplements: Kent Marine Tech?M

From the listing:
Contents:
Deionized water containing the following elements (as ions): magnesium, chlorine, sulfur, calcium, potassium, bromine, strontium, boron, fluorine, lithium, rubidium, iodine, iron, molybdenum, zinc, nickel, copper, manganese, vanadium, cesium, cobalt, tungsten, selenium, and chromium.

Always made me wonder if it was the magnesium, or a trace element in Tech M that did the bryopsis killing? Note that copper is listed. Copper is used as an algaecide in FW, and one side effect I have noticed to using Tech M to kill Bryopsis (at super high levels:1900-2000) in my system is that snails die, and they are particularly susceptible to copper.

Who knows...just a guess.
Dave

 

[Ike]

I used epsom salts with success and was able to repeat the results with a little test I had going in a small 10 gallon tank.

 

[SaraB]

You'll also need to figure out what is fueling the growth of the algae. Do you overfeed? Have you not changed your RO/DI filters and membrane lately?

Also running a phosphate remover (GFO) and running carbon and changing media every 2 weeks can help.

 

[ReeferRob]

I have first hand experience with raising the mag to 1500 for two weeks with BRS and no results. One week of Kent TechM at 1350 and I am seeing a dramatic difference. TechM all the way
Just a quick background as it may help you, I have a 70 gallon system I dose 60mL 3 times a day for over a week now. I am on my third bottle when its gone I should be good. Half bottle to go and not a single sign of the devil grass!

 

[110reef]

I used epsom salts with success and was able to repeat the results with a little test I had going in a small 10 gallon tank.

Must be a different species of byropsis, cause mine has laughed at all the many attempts I have made to eradicate it. Including but certainly not limited to raising mag with epsom salts. I have tried every remedy ever suggested, but to no avail.

I agree with Reefboy20:

Just so you know in advance if it is Bryopsis in your tank you my friend have just met the Antichrist!!! I pray for you!! You unfortunately are going to need some Divine intervention

with that one.

 

[Paul_N]

I had bryopsis pretty bad and tried raising my mag with Seachem brand and nothing. I raised it with Tech-M and it immediately started to die off. It's been talked about over and over if there is some "other" additive or binder that is the key. There are also some people who have tried Tech-m and it it did nothing to the bryopsis.

 

[110reef]

Yea, there is a guy in our local club that just tried the Tech M route, and it didn't help with his. I suspect I have the same type as his because he may have gotten it in his tank from some cheato I gave him. And since I raised my mag up with epsom salts, it is pretty hard to bring back down, need a lot of water changes, especially when you are talking a 290 gallon system. So I took the results from his experiment as a fail. My phosphates read zero, same with nitrates. I use RO/DI, I have a GFO and carbon filter, I have tried cleaning crews, algaecide, lettuce nudis, sea hares, a rabbitfish, tangs, manual picking, changed lights, changed tanks (with the same rocks), changed skimmers. I have a fuge with cheato in it. I am actually now using mollies (yes, the freshwater fish) in my tank to see if they will do anything on advice from someone! I am about out of ideas, frustrated at the money I have spent on this problem, and the lack of definitive results.

 

[Paul_N]

How high did you take your mag. I had mine to 2000 for several weeks.

 

[110reef]

I think it was maxed between 1900-2000. I have since been doing water changes to bring it back down, I wasn't liking the looks of a lot of my corals, the sps were starting to brown out, and other softies weren't looking too good either. I had it to 1800, then added a bottle of Tech M and brought it a little higher.